Introduction

“You must try to be a rebel. Anyone who sees the inequities of our times and the slowness of change must not think it (rebelling) a terrible thing, but see it as his duty. Even authority should be rebelled against when it is wrong" (Virginia Pilot, 25 May 1980). Those were the words and personal philosophy of Vivian Carter Mason, a woman who had strong personal beliefs, values, and standards that motivated her as a lifelong advocate for equality. Mason's life and work as a Black feminist and educator in Norfolk , Virginia , from the early 1940s to the late 1970s helped contribute to the attainment of political, economical and educational rights for African Americans and women.